Your Prep Sports Area Girls Cross Country Runners to Watch this Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The start of the sprint that is the cross country season is just over a week away.
Practices for cross country teams began earlier this month with the first day of competition set for August 25.
The goal for every team and athlete is to earn a spot at the state cross country meet schedule for October 31 and November 1 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Before the season gets underway next week here is a preseason look at some of the top returning girls cross country runners in the Your Prep Sports area.
Abigail Burns
Senior, City High
Burns built on a strong finish to her sophomore season with an outstanding junior campaign in which she emerged as on of the top runners in Class 4A.
A three-time state qualifier, Burns posted the best time and finish of her career at the state meet placing 24th in a time of 18:51.4.
The state meet performance capped a brilliant season from start to finish for Burns who finished in the top six in each of the final three meets leading up to the state meet.
Burns finished fourth at both the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and MVC Mississippi Divisional meets helping City High to a runner-up team finish at both events.
She was sixth at the Class 4A state qualifier as the Little Hawks finished runner-up as a team.
The time of 18:51.1 at the Class 4A state meet was more than 25 seconds faster than the previous career best state meet time for Burns set when she finished 41st as a sophomore.
Kate Van Waning
Senior, West High
The leader for a rising West High squad Van Waning will look to put the finishing touches on a stellar career with a strong senior season.
Already a two-time state qualifier Van Waning is coming off a strong finish to the best season of her career last fall as she posted career-best performances at the state qualifying meet and Class 4A state meet.
Van Waning finished a career-best ninth at the Class 4A state qualifier and followed it up by placing 87th at the 4A state meet in a time of 20:11.2.
Van Waning added top-20 finishes at both of the MVC meets placing 17th at the MVC Super Meet and adding a 10th place finish at the MVC Valley Divisional.
Chelsea VeDepo
Junior, Liberty High
The breakthrough for VeDepo came last season as she emerged as the leader of the Liberty High pack while qualifying for the state meet for the first time.
This season VeDepo will look to build on the momentum from a stellar sophomore season that was capped by a top-60 finish at the Class 4A state meet.
VeDepo was among the most improved runners in the area last season putting together an impressive season that included top-20 finishes at the MVC Super Meet, MVC Divisional and 4A state qualifier.
VeDepo was 18th at the MVC Super Meet and seventh at the Valley Divisional before placing 14th at the Class 4A state qualifier.
She was 56th at state in a time of 19:31.6.
Grace Hamann
Junior, City High
A stalwart in the City High lineup the past two seasons, Hamann is coming off a breakthrough sophomore campaign in which she helped City High to a second consecutive eighth-place team finish at the Class 4A state meet.
Hamann improved her finishes at the MVC Super Meet, Class 4A state qualifier and 4A state meet last season and will look to take another step this year as City High seeks to contend for a top-five finish in Class 4A.
A West Branch student who competes for City High, Hamann finished 10th at the MVC Super Meet in a time of 19:09.9 and was 20th at the MVC Mississippi Divisional.
Hamann placed eighth at the Class 4A state qualifier and improved her state meet time by a full minute from her freshman season while placing 30th in a time of 18:55.6.
Susanna Olson
Junior, West High
Already a two-time state qualifier Olson joins Van Waning as the veteran leaders on a West High team looking to make major strides this fall.
Olson was 73rd at the Class 4A state meet as a freshman in 2023 and placed 94th last season in 20:20.1 and will look to build on that experience this season.
Olson did her best running late last season.
After finishing 53rd at the MVC Super Meet Olson posted a 21st place finish at the MVC Valley Divisional and finished 20th at the Class 4A state qualifier.
Look for another strong season from Olson as West High seeks to return to the 4A state meet as a team.
Kinley Mai
Sophomore, Solon
One of three freshman on Solon’s Class 3A fourth-place finishing team a year ago Mai joins classmates Addison Seamans and Liv Nelson as a core of strong returners for the Spartans this season.
Mai emerged early as a front of the pack runner for the Spartans last season and closed a brilliant debut season with a 50th place finish at the Class 3A state meet in a time of 20:03.
Mai was at her best down the stretch last season.
She finished sixth at the WAMAC Conference meet in a time of 19:49.3 and added an eighth-place finish at the Class 3A state qualifier in 19:42.2.
Kadence Whitmer
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
If you are looking for a runner poised for a breakthrough season following Whitmer this fall as the junior appears ready to make a big jump.
Expect Whitmer to take over a bigger leadership role for the Clippers this season as an upperclassman after spending the past two seasons as a regular in the lineup.
Whitmer finished 95th at the Class 3A state meet as a freshman in 2023 and posted a strong sophomore season a year ago that concluded with top-25 finishes at both the WAMAC Conference and 3A state qualifying meets.
Whitmer was 24th at the WAMAC Meet in a time of 21:07.9 and placed 25th at the 3A state qualifier in 20:37.8.
Harper Erwin
Senior, Regina
Regina will be seeking to return to the state meet this season after missing out a year ago and Erwin will be an important part of the Regals success this season.
A three-year varsity regular, Erwin is coming off the best season of her career last fall and will seek to help the Regals return to the Class 1A state meet after a third-place finish at the state qualifier last season.
Erwin was the top Regal finisher at each of the final two meets placing 28th at the River Valley Conference meet last season in 22:33.1 before a 13th place finish at the 1A state qualifying meet in 22:23.8.
Erwin was a part of the Regina state meet squad as a sophomore in 2023 and finished 89th in 21:38.
Eliza Doster
Sophomore, City High
One of the top freshmen in Class 4A last season Doster will look to use the experience from a strong debut season to turn in a breakthrough sophomore campaign.
Doster capped a brilliant freshman season by placing 35th at the Class 4A state meet in a time of 19:10.4, which was fifth among Class 4A freshman.
Prior to her strong showing at the state meet Doster finished in the top 12 in three consecutive races.
Doster finished 11th at the MVC Super Meet and was 12th a week later at the MVC Valley Divisional before placing 11th at the Class 4A state qualifier.
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